Sink-head for molds.



Patentd July 25, 1916.

if; a.

WW! amw E. GATHMANN. S INK HEAD FOR MOLDS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19. 1913.

- STATES PATENT orrrca.

EMIL GATHMANN, 0F BALTIMORE, MARYIiAND.

SINK-HEAD FOR MOLDS.

v Specification of Letters Patent. v Patented July 25, 1916.

Application filed September 19, 1913. Serial 2570. 790,597.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL GATHMANN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Baltimore city, Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sink-Heads for Molds, of which the following is a -specification.

This invention relates particularly to molds for casting steel ingots and especially to the sink heads or feeders for such molds, but my improvements. may be employed in connection with molds for other kinds of castings. i

In several United States Letters Patent heretofore granted to me, I have .shown molds for casting steel ingots in which pro vision is made or conserving the heat of the molten metal at its upper portion and for promoting the coolin of theilower portion of the ingot or casting. I have found that in this class of molds improved results can be obtained be 0nd that acquired in the usual practice by t e use of a feeder or sink head wherein the metal of the casting may be maintained in a molten condition for a suitable period of time at its upper end and thus provide a sufiicient supply of liquid metal for feeding the lower portion of the castin to fill the pipe or blow-holes therein until t e castingis solid.

In carryin out my invention, ,1 preferably formt e main body of the mold in the manner shown in my before-mentioned I patents, z. 6., with the walls of the lower portion of the mold constructed or equipped to promote the cooling of the ingot or casting; and I'also preferably make the walls of the upperportion of the mold somewhat 4b thinner than the walls of the lower portion thereof, causin said walls to gradually decrease in thicknessfrom bottom to top. With a mold thus constructed, I employ a sink head or feeder, constructed to serve not only in feeding the mold but to conserve the heat of the ingot or casting in its upper portion, causing the heat in the upper part of the ingot to pass downwardly in the mold chamber and. be conducted in a side-wise direction from the lower part of the ingot or casting through the side walls of the mold. Said sink head or feeder may be of any suitable material, cast iron or steel being preferred, and this casting may be slurred or coated onits inner portion wth a wash of fire-clay, graphite. or other suitable material designed to-resist the direct cutting action of the molten metal upon the casting.

The feeder has an inner wall inclosing a chamber which receives the molten metal and which contains the upper portion of the casting or ingot, and an outer wall which incloses an annular chamber in which is arranged heat insulating material or a fuel which, when ignited, retards radiation of heat in the upper portion of the metal in the mold and in the feeder head and maintains said metal in a molten condition for the desired period of time. The sink head v is preferably made removable so that it may be taken bodily from, one mold and' placed on another. 1

When a fuel is employed the feeder is formed with draft openings properly located, and on its base the feeder is provided with a bead or flange to prevent the fluid metal from passing laterally outward between the inner wall or base of the feeder stantially the same at the top as at the bottom. Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but in this case the mold chamber. is larger in diameter at the top than at the bottom. Fig. 3 is a View similar to Figs. 1 and 2, but the mold chamber is larger in diameter at the bottom than at the top. Fig. 1 is a top Ian view of the feeder shown in Fig. 1. ig. 4 is a detail view, showing a vertical central section through a feeder and a or tion of an ingot, the feeder being provided with a coating to prevent the ingot from hangin or sticking to the feeder walls.

Fig. 5 1s a view similar to Fig. 4, showing how the' feeder may be formed insections and how the ingot may have fuel placed on the top of it with a layer of neutral material between the fuel and the ingot.

The mold proper A in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is preferably constructed in the manner shown in my previous patents, the walls of the lower portion of the mold a being thicker than the walls a at the'upper portion of the mold and preferably the thickness of the top, as shown in Fig. 2, or it may gradually walls graduallydecreases from the bottom of the mold to the top thereof. In this way the bottom upwardly. The mold chamber may be of substantially the same diameter from top to bottom, as shown in Fig. 1. It may gradually increase from bottom-to decrease in diameter from bottomto top, as shown invFig. 3. The mold A may rest. upon a stool or support-B of any suitable kind. Preferably the mold is formed with 4 lugs a by means of which it -may be lifted and lowered.

In order to more effectually conserve the heat of the ingot at its upper end and to I maintain the metal in a molten condition at the upper portion of the casting, I provide a feeder or sink head C, consisting of-an outer wall 1, an inner wall'2, and a base 3., The walls '1 and 2 are spaced to provide an annular chamber 4 for holding suitable fuel or non-conducting material. Draft ho1es'5 are provided in the base 3 and outer walls 1 topromote combustion when fuel is employed, and links 6 may be employed. to which lifting mechanism may be attached for raising and lowering the feeder. The

base .3 of the'feeder is formed with a rib with all of its parts integral, I may form the or' flange 7 which projectsdownwardly into the mold chamber and is designed to prevent the fluid metal from passing laterally outward between the lower wall or base of the feeder and the top of the mold and'thus form horizontal fins, which would cause the ingot to hang or stick in the mold and produce horizontal surface cracks and impede" the mold.

Preferably as shown, the chamber. e withremoval of the ingot from the in the wall 2 tapers from its lower end 1pwardly. In this way, when'the ingot or castmg freezes it will lower and draw'away from the wall 2, producing an air space a: which serves as an insulating medium. The annular chamber 4 may be filled with any good non-c'onductingmaterial, such as plumbago, asbestos, or the like, in which case the draft openings 5 are 'not'used, but preferably the chamber 4 is filled with an inflammable,

heat-producing material, such as charcoal, coke, or the like, in which case the draft V openm s admit air to promote combustion.

. so that draft .0

The ottom wall or base of the feeder extends laterally beyond the top ofthe mold eningsma be made in the; base of the f er, and, as efore stated, the base of the feeder is made integral with the 1 6b outer wall of the chamber 4 and'preferably also integral with the innerwall; thereof so that allparts of the feeder may be removed [together-and may all be madeof metal. In

Fig il liave shown a'constructiqn i which; the inner-wall 2; is was separately and may be made of fireclaypr the. like, huh in ports the rin 2.

' has fully I claim asmy invention:

. and could generally only be used once. the ingot or casting is gradually cooled from In practice the inflammable or combustible material is placed in the chamber 4 some time previous to the casting of the ingot so that the walls 2 may be suitably preheated before "the molten metal comes into actual cont-act withthem; After the casting is.

made, more fuel may added from time to time, and such fuel may also be placed upon the top of the liquid sink head of the casting, as indicated at F in Fig. 5, in which case 'care should be taken to first cover the upper then be placed upon an empty mold andbe ready for use at any time for' .additional' castings.

In Fig. 4 L indicates a or coating of graphite or the like designed to resist the direct "cutting action of the molten metal upon the casting.

Instead of making the sink head or feeder at its lower end to a a plate which forms the bottom of the combustion chamber and sup- The flange shows av means for definitely 1,10

locating the feeder on the top of the mold and it can be easily determined when placing the feeder "on the mold when the flange entered the mold cavity and at this time the chamber in the feeder will coincide or register with the mold cavity. In. all cases shown the flange isformed integral with the bottom. plate of the feeder and is therefore integral with the metallic .outer A wall thereof. In the first four figures of the we the inner wall of the,feederis shown as being-formed integral with the bottom plate butsaid inner wall may be of, refractory materialas indicated in Fig.5.

" 1.1' The combf ation with amold of a sink header feeder-having a chamber toreceive the? fiuidf metal and to contain the upper end proiecting "from its base intkfihemddc to prevent the its escape of fluid metal between the base of the feeder and the top of the mold and to thus form fins, and having a chamber to contain material for conserving the'heat of the outer end of the ingot, the bottom wall of which feeder supports the heat-conserving material and is removable with the inner and outer walls of the feeder from the mold.

2. The combination with an ingot mold of a removable sink-head o'r feeder having a chamber to receive fluid metal above the mold cavity and to contain the upper end of the ingot and having an annular chamber to contain material for conserving the heat of the upper end of-the ingot, said feeder having inner and outer walls for said annular chamber, and a bottom wall formed integrally with the outer wall which supports tom Wall resting on the top of the ingot.

the inner wall of the feeder and supports also the heat conserving material, said botmold and being removable with the inner and outer walls of the feeder, substantially as described.

3. The combination with an ingot mold of a sink-head or feeder having a chamber to receive the fluid metal and to contain'the upper end of the ingot, a flange of less internal diameter than the upper end of the mold cavity projecting from the base of the feeder into the mold cavity and covering the joint of the feeder with the top of the mold to prevent fluid metal from escaping laterally from the top of the mold chamber and chamber to contain material for conserving to thus form a fin, said feeder having a the heat of the upper end of the ingot.

a. The combination with an ingot mold of a sink-head or feeder, comprising a bottom Wall resting on the top of the mold, and

inner and outer walls with a chamber be 'tween them forinsulating material, and a flange formed integrally with said bottom wall the inner diameter, of which is less than the diameter of the mold cavity at its upper end and which flange is of substantially the same external diameter as that of the upper end of the mold cavity and prevents the lat eral escape of fluid metal from said cavity;

5. A feeder for ingot molds, comprising a plate having a central opening and adapted to rest upon the top of a mold, and two conmg a combustion chamber, the inner wall being of refractory material.

6. A feeder for ingot molds, comprising centric walls carried by the plateand forma plate having a central opening and provided with a marginal wall,and a refractory ring at the opening of the plate and forming with the wall of the plate a comtween the central opening and the wall, and

a refractory ring having its lower end fitting in the central opening of the plate and forming with the wall of said plate a combustion chamber. 1

9. The combination with an, ingot mold of a feeder comprising a metallic bottom plate having a central opening and adapted to rest upon the top of the mold and two concentric walls carried by the plate, the outer wall being integral with said metallic bottom plate, and the inner wall being of refractory material, said feeder being provided with means integral with the outer metallic wall for definitely locating it upon the upper portion of the mold; I

In testimony whereof, I have subscribed my name. i

' EMIL GATHMANN.

hereunto Witnesses:

M. MnWsHAw,

RALPH C. SHARRETTS. 

